Ponte Preta was founded by students at the Colégio Culto à Ciência in Campinas. Two things stand out from the team group above- the distinctive neckties and the ethnic diversity of the players. When club founder Miguel do Carmo played for Ponte Preta in 1900 ( their inaugural season) he became the first black player in organised football in Brazil. The club nickname Macaca reflects the racism that they encountered in the early days. Ponte Preta are the second oldest active club in Brazil.

Joining Everton from Marlow in 1888, Alf Milward made 225 first team appearances for the Toffees in 9 seasons,scoring 95 goals. He then spent 1 season at New Brighton Tower before moving back south and playing for Southampton and New Brompton in the Southern League.

The Irish Football Association was formed in 1880 and, though focused on Belfast, was responsible for the administration of the game throughout the island. Although there were cultural and sectarian divisions, Ireland was a single country up until theAnglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. The area now known as Northern ireland opted out of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic (founded in 1919). The south was known as the Irish Free State between 1922 and 1937, when it became the Republic of Ireland.

The situation regarding football now became complex. There was growing discontent in the south regarding what was percieved as northern bias on the part of the Irish Football Association. The IFA defended their position; the north, they argued, was the heartland of football in Ireland.In September 1921 the Football Association of the Irish Free State (later known as theFootball Association of Ireland) was formed by southern clubs and Leinster FA, which had seceded from The Irish Football Association.Initially both the IFA and the FAI claimed to represent the whole of Ireland. Therefore during the period with which we are concerned, there existed a situation in which there were 2 bodies selecting 'all Ireland' sides. The Football Association of Ireland side was not not considered to represent only the Irish Free State.In 1923 the Football Association of the Irish Free State joined FIFA and in 1924 the Olympic Council of Ireland selected a team to represent The Irish Free State at the Olympics. In 1936 the FAI adopted a policy of selecting Northern players, a practice that persisted until 1946. Therefore, between the foundation of the the Football Association of the Irish Free State and the end of the era this blog covers (summer 1937), a number of players were selected to represent both The Irish Football Association and the the Football Association of the Irish Free State (Football Association of Ireland).

For their campaign at the 1924 Olympic Games the Olympic Council of Ireland selected just 1 player who had previously been capped by the Irish Football Association :

Irish Football Association

Olympic Council of Ireland

Dates

Games

Dates

Games

Dinny Hannon

1908-13

6

1924

2

Inside right. Bohemians, Athlone Town.

The following players were selected by the Football Association of the Irish Free State/ Football Association of Ireland having previously represented the Irish Football Association:

Irish Football Association

Football Association of Ireland

Dates

Games

Dates

Games

Billy Lacey

1909- 24

23

1927-30

3

During his career he played in all 11 positions! Shelbourne, Everton, Liverpool, New Brighton, Cork Bohemians.

Just 3 weeks after the decisive play off match that closed the 1928-29 Italian season, champions Bologna and runners up Torino were in South America on tour. The 2 squads sailed together from Genoa on the Conte Rosso.The 2 sides had shared 205 goals during the domestic league season, Torino's Trio of Wonders (Rossetti, Libonatti and Baloncieri)scoring 89 between them. Following such an arduous season it is perhaps unsurprising that neither side was spectacular on tour. In fact one Torino historian went as far as to describe the excursion as a 'celebratory holiday'. Bologna bolstered their ranks with guests:

Scottish outside left Billy Hunter played 150 games for Southern League Millwall Athletic before joining Bolton Wanderers in 1908. Hunter made 55 first team appearances for Bolton over the next 4 seasons.In 1912 Hunter became manager of Football Club Dordrecht in the Netherlands, and ran the Dutch national side for 4 matches:

15.03.14

Belgium

2

4

Netherlands

Beerschot A.C. Stadion, Antwerp

05.04.14

Netherlands

4

4

Germany

Het Oude Stadion, Amsterdam

26.04.14

Netherlands

4

2

Belgium

Het Oude Stadion, Amsterdam

17.05.14

Denmark

4

3

Netherlands

Copenhagen

P

W

D

L

F

A

4

2

1

1

15

12

He interrupted his career in 1914 to enlist in the British Army.After the war Hunter coached Lausanne in Switzerland and was involved with Hakoah Wien in 1923 when they famously beat West Ham United at The Boleyn Ground .In 1924 Hunter became manager of SK Galatasaray in Istanbul. He managed the Turkish national side in their Olympic debut in 1924. In all he was in charge of the Turkish side for 12 matches:

The years from the Great October Revolution (1917) to the end of the Great Patriotic War (1945) saw football in the Soviet Union progressing in relative isolation. The Soviet Union did not join FIFA, and they did not participate in the Olympic Games.On the domestic front national club competitions came into being in the mid 1930s. There were Spatrakaids and Workers Olympiads, but in terms of truly representative international football the Soviet Union was limited to a few friendlies which are considered unofficial.* On the Moscow football scene this was the era of the Starostin brothers. All 4 played forSpartak Moscow and the teams from which that great club evolved :

Nikolai started serious football at the age of 15 with Russian Gymnastic Society (РГО)He later played for: Moscow Sport Club (1922)Krasnaya Presnya (1923 - 1925)Pishchevik (1926-1930)Promkooperatisa (1931, 1934)Dukat (1932 - 1933)Spartak Moscow (1935 - 1936)He played in RSFSR Championship winning sides in 1922, 1927, 1928 & 1931.Represented Moscow (1922-35) and the RSFSR (1928-30).He was awarded the Master of Sport of the Soviet Union.

Jimmy Speirs was an inside left who was born in Glasgow. He represented Scotland in 1 international (against Wales in 1908). He played for Glasgow Rangers and Clyde before joining Bradford City in 1909.

The following season Speirs captained City when they won the FA Cup.

In 3 seasons at Valley Parade he made 96 first team appearances.

At Xmas 1912 Speirs joined Herbert Chapman's Leeds City. He made 78 first team appearances up until football was suspended in 1915.

Speirs enlisted voluntarily in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders. He reached the rank of Sergeant and was awarded the Military Medal for bravery.

Jimmy Speirs was killed in action at the Battle of Passchendaele in August 1917. He was 31 years old.

I got this photograph from a Bantams website which appears to be no longer online- apologies for not being able to give better credit.

For their first foray into international football Poland took a Cracovia dominated XI to meet Hungary at the Hungária körúti Stadion. Indeed there is some speculatiuon that the fixture only came about because of the influence of the Cracovia coach, Jesza Poszony. As Imre Pozsonyi (he was also known as Emérico Pozsonyi) he had played in what was

retrospectively designated as Hungary's very first international in 1902. Poszony was made coach of the new Polish national squad. Following a series of trials, an initial cohort of 33 was reduced to a squad of 16 for the first match. Eventually 13 players made the arduous 36 hour train journey to Budapest. The team was selected by Józef Szkolnikowski, President of the Polish FA.

GK

Jan Loth

KS Polonia

FB

Ludwick Gintel

KS Cracovia

FB

Artur Marczewski

KS Polonia

HB

Zdzisław Styczeń

KS Cracovia

HB

Stanisław Cikowski

KS Cracovia

HB

Tadeusz Synowiec c

KS Cracovia

F

Stanisław Mielech

KS Cracovia

F

Wacław Kuchar

LKS Pogon Lwów

F

Józef Kałuża

KS Cracovia

F

Marian Einbacher

KS Warta

F

Leon Sperling

KS Cracovia

The 2 reserves were : Stefan Loth - (KS Polonia) & Mieczysław Batsch - (LKS Pogon Lwów) For Hungary this was the 80th international . The hosts won 1-0 with an 18th minute goal from Jenő Szabó. Hungary missed a penalty and Jan Loth put in an impressive performance. It was a creditable result for Poland.

To be the Champion of Britain was, as we have seen, the equivalent of being the Champion of the World. The domestic football of England and Scotland was without equal well into the 20th century.From the 1870s onwards there were showdowns between English and Scottish clubs , both formal and informal, and then in 1902 a tournament called The British league Cup was played.Unfortunately this was not the grand championship that it might have been. The tournament was set up by Glasgow Rangers as a fundraiser for victims of the Ibrox Disaster. The trophy Rangers donated was the £100 Exhibition Cup that they had won by beating Celtic at the Glasgow International Trade Fair the previous year.

The four teams that took part in the British League Cup were the League Champions and runners up from the recently ended domestic season in England and Scotland, namely Sunderland, Everton, Glasgow Rangers and Celtic.

The Football League Div. 1 1901-02

P

W

D

L

F

A

Pts

1

Sunderland

34

19

6

9

50

35

44

2

Everton

34

17

7

10

53

35

41

The Scottish Football League Div. 1 1901-02

P

W

D

L

F

A

Pts

1

Glasgow Rangers

18

13

2

3

43

29

28

2

Celtic

18

11

4

3

38

28

26

30.04.02- Celtic 5 Sunderland 1Played at Ibrox, attendance 4,000

Celtic

Sunderland

Edmond

E. Doig

Watson

Annan

Battles

Watson

Loney

Ferguson

Marshall

McAllister

Orr

Jackson

Livingston

W.Hogg

McDermott

R.Hogg

Campbell

Miller

McMahon

Gemmell

Quinn

McLatchie

Billy Hogg was the only Englishman in the Sunderland team. Both sides were considered to be below full strength and receipts of £100 were taken.

20 minutes of extra time was played.03.05.02- Glasgow Rangers 3 Everton 2The replay was held at Celtic Park. Four of the Rangers players from the first match were absent, as they were playing in the international at Villa park that day (this was the 'replay' of the Ibrox game at which the tragedy occurred) the players were Nicol Smith, Drummond, Robertson and Alex Smith. Everton's Jimmy Settle appeared for England.17.06.02- Celtic 3 Glasgow Rangers 2The final was played at Cathkin park on 17.06.02- This was the day of The Coronation of King Edward VII. A crowd of 12,000 turned out. The takings were reported as being '£265 at the gate and £49 at the stands'- the total raised by the 4 matches was £900.

Celtic

Glasgow Rangers

McPherson

GK

Dickie

Watson

FB

N.Smith

Battles

FB

Crawford

Loney

HB

Gibson

Marshall

HB

Stark

Orr

HB

Robertson

Crawford

F

Lennie

Campbell

F

Walker

Quinn

F

Hamilton

McDermott

F

Speedie

Hamilton

F

A.Smith

Jimmy Quinn

Celtic's Jimmy Quinn scored 3 goals in the final.

*Some sources state that this match was played at Celtic Park- a report in The Edinburgh Evening News (02.05.02) makes it clear that this was not the case.

Lloyd's Weekly London Newspaper (15.11.91)Jimmy Brogan scored 6 goals on his debut in senior football in 1883 (Hibernian beating Edina 10-1 in the Scottish Cup). Brogan joined Heart of Midlothian the following season and then moved to Bolton Wanderers in 1884. He joined Bolton after appearing for Heart of Midlothian in a Boxing Day friendly against Blackburn Rovers.I don't have access to statistics from thre pre Football League years, but from 1888-92 Brogan made 82 first team appearances for Bolton , scoring 30 goals.

The Football Association of Wales was founded in March 1876. At this point there were already a number of well established clubs in the Principality- mostly in the north East. Let's take a closer look at the development of the game in Wales up to this point. For many years it was held that the Wrexham club was founded in 1873. There is, however, compelling documentary evidence that the football branch of the Wrexham Cricket club was launched in 1864. and accounts of early matches can be read on the Welsh Newspapers Online section of the National Library of Wales website.Previously Druids FC of Ruabon claimed to be the oldest club in Wales, originating from the Plasmadoc club formed in 1869. The Shropshire team Oswestry (who feature large in the early history of Welsh Cup and international football) may have had its origins as early as 1860.

A report in The North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality (19.03.64) shows a misunderstanding of the game, each instance of a goal being scored (the original term was won) being seen as the conclusion of a 'game':

HOLYHEAD.A FOOTBALL MATCH between eleven of the Anglesey Collegiate School and eleven of Holyhead was played on Friday the 11th. Nine games were played, the Collegiate eleven winning five. The last game won by the Anglesey Collegiate School was objected to by the Holyhead side, though the ball was played fairly into their goal.

The North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality (19.03.64)

Denbighshire County Cricket Club acquired a football in October 1864 and were playing scratch games soon after.

In the south west corner of Wales, at Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, the local college was an early centre of the Association game. The College was the first football club in Wales to join the Football Association (1868). A report of a match played by Milford College appeared in The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser (29.11.67):MILFORD FOOTBALL-A match was played at Milford, on Wednesday, the 27th inst., between the Milford College and Haverfordwest Grammar School, which ended in favour of the former, who obtained eight goals to none. The match was played with great spirit though unsuccessfully on the part of the Grammar School. For the College, Messrs Fincham, Mason, Harries, Child, Austin. Evans, Stokes, and Summers (captain) and for the Grammar School, Messrs Davies, E. Saunders, T. Baker, Reynish, and Wutbins, played well. The goals were kicked as follows: Fincham 3, Mason 3, Harries 1, Child 1

The Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire Shropshire and North Wales Register (16.11.67) reported a match between Wrexham Provincial and a Ruabon Grammar school side that featured Llewellyn Kenrick, who went on to become first chairman and honorary secretary of the Football Association of Wales.

Aberystwyth Times Cardiganshire Chronicle and Merionethshire News (31.12.68) reported: CORWEN FOOTBALL.-The Hon. C. H. Wynn has kindly encouraged manly sports and innocent recreation (which are so much needed in North Wales), by presenting the town players with a magnificent football of the very best London make, and its admirable qualities were fully shown in a friendly match played on Saturday week, in a field near the new footbridge, kindly lent by Mr Hugh Jones, postmaster.

In the 1870s familiar names were beginning to emerge- Ruabon Druids, Plasmadoc, Wrexham etc. The general rule seems to have been that in the south Rugby was the favoured code whereas the north and mid-Wales were Association minded.In the early 1870s new clubs were formed with regularity throughout north and mid Wales: Portmadoc (Porthmadog) Cricket Club formed a football section in October 1872. In the same month Cefn played their 1st match at Plasmadoc Park and Llangollen FC was formed. January 1873 saw Borth and Aberystwyth playing each other. The following month Carnarvon (Caernarfon) were in action at Portmadoc (Porthmadog).Other clubs getting mentions in the press were: Whittington, Whitchurch, St Oswalds (Oswestry) and Wynnstay. Wrexham had a number of minor clubs such as Grove Park, whilst Ruabon was home to Rovers and Volunteers (later merging to form the Druids).

In 1875 the County of Denbigh XI featured a number of future internationals : L. Kenrick, D. Thompson, Dr Grey (Wales); H. Wace (England), and J. Hawley-Edwards (Wales & England).

The Football Association of Wales (initially known as The Cambrian Football Association) was formed for the express purpose of arranging the international fixture with Scotland. Early accounts show that the association was committed to representing both north and south wales, despite the virtual absence of clubs in the south.Wales' first international XI was drawn from the following clubs:Druids, Shropshire Wanderers, Oxford University, Wrexham, Oswestry, Shrewsbury.

Czech international football had endured a 12 year hiatus following Bohemia's loss of international status in 1908.

The new Czechoslovakian team made their international bow at the 1920 Olympics, although the core of the squad had competed in the 1919 Inter Allied Games.On 28th August 1920 Czechoslovakia made their international debut- beating Yugoslavia 7-0 ( scorers: Vanik (3), Janda (3) , Sedláček).The following day Janda scored another hattrick as Norway were beaten 4-0.In the semi final (31.08.20) France were beaten 4-1. On this occasion Otakar Škvajn was the hattrick scorer.

The stage was set then, for Czechoslovakia to be effectively crowned World Champions in their 4th competitive international match.

The history of Association Football is rendered all the more colourful by the controversies and disputes that crop up from time to time.Here is a very early example, taken from an otherwise unremarkable club match played at Steatham, London on 12.03.70.The match report in The Sportsman of 16.03.70 has matter of factly Peckham scoring after 15 minutes and Streatham winning 'a very pleasant game', 1-0.In the pre FA Cup era the team captains would attempt to resolve any disputes, safe in the presumption that no English gemtleman would willfully cheat or seek to gain an unfair advantage, Many club matches (in which fielding a compliment of 11 per side was something of an achievement) were played without referees or umpires.

Lausanne Version

The Lausanne version of events appeared in a letter published in The Sportsman on 17.03.90. The author , unnamed, was the Hon Sec. of the Lausanne club. The following points were made:

The result was not confirmed and it had been agreed to refer the matter to Mr C.W Alcock

The ball had gone into touch.

It had hit a tree 12 or 14ft (3 m) outside the boundary.

It had rolled back into play.

Streatham played on.

Lausanne were calling for the ball to be brought back for the throw in, and had lined up in preparation for this (in these days the ball had to be thrown in at right angles and the players awaited this in a manner resembling the line out in Rugby Union).

The editor of The Sportsman ( this was possibly C.W Alcock, as the paper stated that all matters relating to football were to be addressed to him at their offices) appended this letter with the comment that the goal should not have stood.

The Streatham Version

A letter from Charles Dunt, Hon Sec of Streatham, waspublished in The Sportsman 19.03.70. Mr Dunt made the following observations:

The trees were about 6 feet (1.8 m) from the boundary flags.

The branches of the trees overhung the field of play.

The ball struck the overhanging branches.

It bounded back into play.

A Lausanne player played the ball.

He was dispossessed by Kolle of Streatham.

Kolle centred to Peckham and Peckham scored.

Lausanne didn't complain about the goal until after the game.

The Sportsman reported on 19.03.70 that the match had ended in a draw, as the former had claimed a goal from a dead ball.

The earliest reference I can find in the press to Lausanne FC is 11th December 1869, though a foundation date of 1867 is claimed.

Interestingly in the latter half of the 1860s Englishmen were playing football in Lausanne in Switzerland, though my research has revealed no links between these pioneers and the Lausanne of Dulwich. There is a Lausanne Road in Peckham, which may be a source of the club name.The Merry Swiss Boys sported what must have been one of the most distinctive jerseys in the history of British football-violet with an amber stripe on the left arm. The club later concentrated on Rugby, becoming founder members of the RFU in 1871.

The history of German domestic football is made very complex by the large number of regional competitions that fed into the National Championships. Another level of complexity emerges when we consider that there were actually clubs competing in the German National Championships that were from outside the borders of Germany itself. Prague was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy- being in Bohemia,a province of the Austrian Empire. There were a number of football clubs in Prague that were associated with the German speaking community (which was in fact diminishing rapidly during this era- at the turn of the century about 10% of the population of the city were Germans).In 1900 Der Verband der Prager Deutschen Fußball-Vereine was founded- an association of German football clubs in Prague (which in German is Prag). When the Deutscher Fußball Bund was established in 1900 there were 2 Prague based clubs among the founder members- the very similarly named Deutscher FC Prag and Deutscher FC Germania Prag.The first championship was held in the 1901-02 season. The following teams took part:Deutscher FC Germania PragFC Austria PragFC Favorit PragFC Hellas 1900 PragFußball Sektion der Lese- und Redehalle der Deutschen Studenten PragFuAC Sport PragFC Sturm PragDeutscher FC Prag Deutscher FC Germania Prag emerged as champions.

The club had been founded as Unitas Prag in 1898 by Heinrich Nonner, who had previously played for Regatta Prag and DFC Prag. For a short while the club was renamed Urania before becoming Germania. It was Nonner who represented the club at the first ever meeting of the Deutscher Fußball Bund.

1n 1902-03 only 3 clubs participated in the championship. It would appear that DFC Prag were selected to compete in the German national championships in rather a random manner as the Prague tournament was not conclusively decided.

In March 1903 DFC Germania Prag went out of existence.They faced financial problems and had lost their home ground, on which a church was to be built. The club relocated to Graslitz (which is now the Czech city of Kraslice).

Kloosterbalsem (Cloister Balm) was an ointment for the treatment of bruises, sprains, scratches and blisters. Here it is endorsed by Kees van Dijke, the Feyenoord defender who played 3 times for The Netherlands in 1925.

A newspaper advertisment from pre- revolutionary Russia. I Glazynov of Moscow offers London made footballs. The 'American rubber ' balls come in 5 sizes. Almost twice as costly are the 'English leather' balls.

Having won the League Championship for the first time in the 1907-08 season, Manchester United, under the leadership of Ernest Mangnall, embarked on their first overseas tour.

06.05.08

Zurich Select

2*

4

Manchester United

Zurich

11.05.08**

Slavia

0

2

Manchester United

Prague

12.05.08***

Slavia

0

2

Manchester United

Prague

13.05.08

WSC

0

4

Manchester United

Vienna

15.05.08

WAC

0

5

Manchester United

Vienna

17.05.08

Vienna Select

0

4

Manchester United

Vienna

22.05.08

Budapest Select ****

2

6

Manchester United

Budapest

24.05.08

Ferencváros

0

7

Manchester United

Budapest

* 1 in some sources

** In some sources 09.05.08

*** in some sources 10.05.08

**** teams represented were MTC, Ferencváros & BTCI can only find a full team listing for the game with WAC-Moger, Stacey, Burgess, Duckworth , Thompson, Downie, Meredith, Bannister,Turnbull, Picken, Wall- a strong United XI.As Mr Mangnall commented on his return to England that United would never play Slavia again I can only assume that there was some controversy attached to the games in Prague- the English press reports contain nothing that enlightens us on this matter. In Vienna, the press commented, the referee ran along the touchline 'in a tremendous state of excitement...some of the attitudes he struck were simply magnificent'. The United players in this match were also surprised by the presence of some Oldham Athletic supporters- expats living in Vienna who attended despite the 1s 8d admission price. The game that attracted the most attention was the clash with Ferencváros. The game ended with United being escorted from the ground by armed mounted police having being pelted with stones by the spectators (there were 16,000 present). Thompson received a superficial injury.

Refereeing was the issue, as was often the case with overseas games in this era. The rules on the continent tended to be interpreted differently- physical contact, a staple of the English game, was frowned upon. Firstly it would appear that there were 'goal judges' deployed at the posts who actually interfered with the play in some way. There was controversy over a penalty awarded to United- a United forward 'cleverly rolled into the penalty area' after being fouled, According to Hungarian sources the referee was aware of the deceit but was placed under pressure by the Manchester United players. Goalkeeper Moger scored the penalty to complete the 7-0 scoreline.There is also some suggestion that the referee wished to dismiss 3 United players for overly physical play. Ferencváros lost 2 players to injury. Communication broke down and when one of the United men (Thompson) placed a hand on the referees shoulder the crowd became incensed.Some reports held that there were no hard feelings after the game and that the 2 sides dined together, a suggestion dismissed by Mr Mangnall.

Manchester Courier

Incidentally, in the Ferencváros game 2 of the great players of the era shared a pitch for the only time. Billy Meredith and Imre Schlosser made 116 international appearances between them in careers that totalled 48 years.

There was a time when the Olympic Games extended to non- athletic disciplines such as art, architecture and music.In 1920 when his countrymen were victorious in the controversial Association football final, the Belgian artist Alfred Ost won the bronze medal at the 1920 Antwerp Games for his painting De Voetballer / Joueur De Football.